The Marian Hossa leaves Red Wings/signs with Blackhawks afterglow

Almost 24 hours after the Chicago Blackhawks signed former Red Wing Marian Hossa to a 12-year deal, the shine has yet to wear off the "biggest story" of the free agent period, starting with a pat on Dale Tallon's back from the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson:

July 2, Edmonton Journal: The pointed question for Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon was quick and hard like a Marian Hossa wristshot.

"Did you sign this guy to subtract something from your biggest rival?" fired a reporter.

Tallon paused, broke out a smile that would have lit up the United Center, then laughed softly.

"Geez, never thought of that," he said.

Obviously, Marian Hossa going to the Blackhawks and leaving the Detroit Red Wings has changed the balance of power in the Western Conference.

If you believe the Ottawa Sun's Chris Stevenson, Hossa's decisiveness stands as a stand-up polar opposite to the behavior of Dany Heatley, who turned down a trade to the Edmonton Oilers:

July 2, Ottawa Sun: Heatley started out as the main story of the day as the gates prepared to open at noon and remained a back story throughout the day.

It was interesting to see the juxtapostion of Hossa and Heatley, two guys who will always be linked after they were traded for each other in 2005, Hossa embroiled in a tough negotiation with the Senators and Heatley asking for a trade from the Atlanta Thrashers after the car crash which killed Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder.

Hossa was the jewel of yesterday's free-agent class and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks (in another coincidence, the 'Hawks chose him over ex-Senators teammate Martin Havlat, who signed with Minnesota).

Hossa, the man in demand. His reputation in the league was elevated last year at this time after rejecting that big deal with the Oilers, its riches and security, and another from the Pittsburgh Penguins, to take a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings because he thought that was his best chance to win a Stanley Cup.

He became the final's tragic figure, the team he left for the Wings raising the Cup.

Then there was Heatley being vilified in two cities.

Two players, two decisions that are defining their reputations. They both occupied central roles again yesterday, for vastly different reasons.

The Toronto Sun's Rob Longley noted Hossa's signing...

July 2, Toronto Sun: Unlike his one-year deal with the Red Wings a year ago -- which subsequently blew up in his face after leaving Pittsburgh for what he felt was the leading Cup contender -- Hossa signed for a whopping $63.8 million US over 12 years.

After the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, signed with Vancouver before the noon start of the free-agent chase, Hossa became the big attraction. And Tallon believes the Slovak, who scored 40 goals this season, brings experience as well as flash to his developing team.

Hossa said that he didn't expect to return to the star-heavy Detroit lineup so opted for the youthful rival that is coming off a Western Conference final performance.

"I've come pretty close but I haven't won yet," Hossa, who was on the losing team in each of the past two Cup finals, said on a conference call. "We have a young team in Chicago that will go far and hopefully we can win it. If there was no salary cap, I'm sure I would still be in Detroit."

And the Sporting News's Craig Custance's take earns its title, "At last, Windy City-bound Hossa has found a home":

The Hossa signing continues a troubling trend for a Red Wings franchise that isn't used to troubling trends. They lost the Stanley Cup. They lost Hossa, their leading goal-scorer. They lost Ty Conklin, the reliable backup who kept Detroit in contention while Chris Osgood waited for the playoffs to start. And to make it worse, Conklin (St. Louis) and Hossa will be playing for division rivals.

Tallon smiled when asked if weakening Detroit was part of the attraction of signing Hossa.

"Never thought of that," Tallon said.

It was an added bonus, but landing one of the best free agents on the market for the second consecutive summer is bonus enough. Last year, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet were two of the biggest names in free agency and both picked Chicago. Hossa will turn out to be a better signing than both of them. His outstanding two-way play was why Detroit worked to the bitter end to keep him. And in Chicago, he doesn't have to be the star, which is what he prefers. He'll play his game, happily relinquishing the spotlight to Kane and Toews and hopefully find a happier ending in the Windy City.

"When I look at the Chicago team, it's an exciting team. They are big, they are strong, they are fast and they are young guys," Hossa said. "I see a nice future in Chicago."

You can wipe your tears of sympathy now...

Update 11:52 AM: The Detroit Athletic Company's Steve Thomas adds a, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" schmaltz:

July 2, DetroitAthletic.com: It seemed all season that Detroit Red Wings fans knew there was a good chance that Marian Hossa would only be in the Motor City for one year. Sales of his jerseys and T-shirts were always lukewarm -- a sure sign of a player whose tenure is viewed as doubtful.

The fact that Hossa decided to leave Detroit is not the big news. It's where he decided to go. The Red Wings rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks was already extremely heated. Now it is going to be downright hate-filled. Hossa's move will create a whole new level of contention between two teams -- and cities -- that dates back to 1926.

Hossa came to Detroit primarily to fulfill his desire to hoist the Stanley Cup. He basically played one season for less than his market value with the team he felt gave him the best chance to be a champion. He came within one game of that. Now Hossa will go to Chicago primarily for the money. His 12-year, $68.2 million contract with the Blackhawks makes him one of the highest paid players in the National Hockey League.

I suppose that Hossa's lackluster performance in this year's playoffs softens the blow for Red Wings fans. He really fell flat when the Wings needed him most. Time will tell how he will perform against the Red Wings and in future post seasons. But one thing is for sure: the stakes just got higher -- much higher -- in one of the most storied rivalries in the NHL.